Resurrection of the Body:
Definition of Terms:
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The Resurrection of the Dead is the belief that all people will be raised from the dead at the end of time, encompassing both the righteous and the unrighteous. This belief is deeply rooted in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, seen as the “first fruits” of those who have died (1 Corinthians 15:52-54 and John 5:28-29). Archaeological evidence from early Christian tombs and catacombs illustrates this belief was held by early Christians from the first few centuries. Many sites, such as the Catacombs of Rome, feature frescoes depicting resurrection themes and inscriptions expressing hope in eternal life. Early Christian art frequently portrayed scenes of resurrection, including depictions of Christ as the Good Shepherd and various resurrection events, emphasizing the community’s conviction in life after death.
The fact that the early Church held this belief as probably best exemplified by quotes from early theologians and Church Fathers. For example:
- St. Irenaeus (c. 130-202): “For just as we have borne the image of the earthy man, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly man.” (Against Heresies, Book 5)
- Tertullian (c. 155-240): “I believe in the resurrection of the flesh.” (The Resurrection of the Flesh)
Along with Bodily Resurrection, the early Church also expressed belief in a Bodily Assumption. In contrast to bodily resurrection, the concept of bodily assumption refers to the belief that certain individuals, such as Mary, Enoch, and Elijah, were taken directly into heaven without experiencing death. For instance, Elijah was taken up in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:11), and Enoch is noted for not experiencing death (Genesis 5:24). The New Testament also presents the experience of a man caught up to the third heaven in 2 Corinthians 12:2-4, indicating a possibility for individuals to enter a heavenly reality without dying. This possibility was seen as a divine favor as opposed to any supernatural power attributed to the individual.
The early Church acknowledged the potential for such exceptional cases, recognizing that while bodily resurrection applies universally to all believers, the Assumption is specific to a few individuals who bypass death entirely. St. Augustine discussed this notion, referencing Enoch and Elijah and stating that while the bodies of the saints will be raised, some may be found alive at the coming of the Lord. Overall, the early Church’s vibrant belief in the Resurrection of the Dead and the possibility of bodily assumption reflects a deep faith in God’s transformative power and the hope for eternal life, emphasizing continuity in the Christian understanding of life after death.
Bible Verses:
1 Corinthians 15:52-53:
“In a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.”
John 11:25-26:
“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?’”
Romans 8:11:
“And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.”
Philippians 3:20-21:
“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17:
“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.”
Revelation 20:12:
“And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.”
Job 19:25-26:
“I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God.”
Matthew 22:31-32:
“But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you? ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.”
2 Kings 2:11:
“As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.”
Genesis 5:24:
“Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.”
2 Corinthians 12:2-4:
“I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows.”
Revelation 12:1:
“A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.”
Church Father Quotes:
“Let us consider, beloved, how the Master is continually proving to us that there will be a future resurrection, of which he has made the Lord Jesus Christ the firstling, by raising him from the dead. Let us look, beloved, at the resurrection which is taking place seasonally. Day and night make known the resurrection to us. The night sleeps, the day arises. Consider the plants that grow. How and in what manner does the sowing take place? The sower went forth and cast each of the seeds onto the ground; and they fall to the ground, parched and bare, where they decay. Then from their decay the greatness of the master’s providence raises them up, and from the one grain more grow and bring forth fruit” (Letter to the Corinthians 24:1–6 [A.D. 80]).
“I believe in . . . the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the flesh. Amen” (Old Roman Symbol [A.D. 125]).
“[W]hoever perverts the sayings of the Lord for his own desires, and says that there is neither resurrection nor judgment, such a one is the firstborn of Satan. Let us, therefore, leave the foolishness and the false-teaching of the crowd and turn back to the word which was delivered to us in the beginning” (Letter to the Philippians 7:1–2 [A.D. 135]).
“[Christians] have the commandments of the Lord Jesus Christ himself impressed upon their hearts, and they observe them, awaiting the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come” (Apology 15 [A.D. 140]).
“Let none of you say that this flesh is not judged and does not rise again. Just think: In what state were you saved, and in what state did you recover your [spiritual] sight, if not in the flesh? In the same manner, as you were called in the flesh, so you shall come in the flesh. If Christ, the Lord who saved us, though he was originally spirit, became flesh and in this state called us, so also shall we receive our reward in the flesh” (Second Clement 9:1–6 [A.D. 150]).
“The prophets have proclaimed his [Christ’s] two comings. One, indeed, which has already taken place, was that of a dishonored and suffering man. The second will take place when, in accord with prophecy, he shall come from the heavens in glory with his angelic host, when he shall raise the bodies of all the men who ever lived. Then he will clothe the worthy in immortality, but the wicked, clothed in eternal sensibility, he will commit to the eternal fire along with the evil demons” (First Apology 52 [A.D. 151]).
“Indeed, God calls even the body to resurrection and promises it everlasting life. When he promises to save the man, he thereby makes his promise to the flesh. What is man but a rational living being composed of soul and body? Is the soul by itself a man? No, it is but the soul of a man. Can the body be called a man? No, it can but be called the body of a man. If, then, neither of these is by itself a man, but that which is composed of the two together is called a man, and if God has called man to life and resurrection, he has called not a part, but the whole, which is the soul and the body” (The Resurrection 8 [A.D. 153]).
“We believe that there will be a resurrection of bodies after the consummation of all things” (Address to the Greeks 155 [A.D. 170]).
“God will raise up your flesh immortal with your soul; and then, having become immortal, you shall see the immortal, if you will believe in him now; and then you will realize that you have spoken against him unjustly. But you do not believe that the dead will be raised. When it happens, then you will believe, whether you want to or not; but unless you believe now, your faith then will be reckoned as unbelief” (To Autolycus 1:7–8 [A.D. 181]).
“For the Church, although dispersed throughout the whole world even to the ends of the earth, has received from the apostles and from their disciples the faith in . . . the raising up again of all flesh of all humanity” (Against Heresies 1:10:1–4 [A.D. 189]).
“After the present age is ended he will judge his worshipers. . . . All who have died since the beginning of time will be raised up again and shaped again and remanded to whichever destiny they deserve” (Apology 18:3 [A.D. 197]).
“Therefore, the flesh shall rise again: certainly of every man, certainly the same flesh, and certainly in its entirety” (The Resurrection of the Dead 63:1 [A.D. 210]).
“See, too, how for our consolation all nature suggests the future resurrection. The sun sinks down, but is reborn. The stars go out, but return again. Flowers die, but come to life again. After their decay shrubs put forth leaves again; not unless seeds decay does their strength return. A body in the grave is like the trees in winter: They hide their sap under a deceptive dryness. Why are you in haste for it to revive and return, while yet the winter is raw? We must await even the spring of the body. I am not ignorant of the fact that many, in the consciousness of what they deserve, would rather hope than actually believe that there is nothing for them after death. They would prefer to be annihilated rather than be restored for punishment” (Octavius 34:11–12 [A.D. 226]).
“Therefore be instructed by this, you fool, that each and every one of the seeds is clothed in its own body. Never do you sow wheat and reap barley, and never did you plant a vine and have it produce figs. But everything grows in accord with its own nature. So also the body which has been laid in the ground is the same which will rise again” (Treatises 8:3 [A.D. 340]).
“This body shall be raised, not remaining weak as it is now, but this same body shall be raised. By putting on incorruption, it shall be altered, as iron blending with fire becomes fire—or rather, in a manner the Lord who raises us knows. However it will be, this body shall be raised, but it shall not remain such as it is. Rather, it shall abide as an eternal body. It shall no longer require for its life such nourishment as now, nor shall it require a ladder for its ascent; for it shall be made a spiritual body, a marvelous thing, such as we have not the ability to describe” (Catechetical Lectures 18:18 [A.D. 350]).
“As for those who profess to be Christians . . . and who confess the resurrection of the dead, of our body and of the body of the Lord . . . but who at the same time say that the same flesh does not rise, but other flesh is given in its place by God, are we not to say that this opinion exceeds all others in impiety” (The Man Well-Anchored 87 [A.D. 374]).
“We confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins; we look for a resurrection of the dead and life in the age to come. Amen” (Nicene Creed [A.D. 381]).
“[Jesus Christ] sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From there he shall come to judge the living and the dead; at his coming all men have to rise again with their bodies and will render an account of their own deeds; and those who have done good will go into life everlasting, but those who have done evil, into eternal fire [Rom. 2:6–11]. This is the Catholic faith, unless everyone believes this faithfully and firmly, he cannot be saved” (Athanasian Creed [A.D. 400]).
“Perish the thought that the omnipotence of the Creator is unable, for the raising of our bodies and for the restoring of them to life, to recall all [their] parts, which were consumed by beasts or by fire, or which disintegrated into dust or ashes, or were melted away into a fluid, or were evaporated away in vapors” (The City of God 22:20:1 [A.D. 419]).
“God, the wonderful and inexpressible Artisan, will, with a wonderful and inexpressible speed, restore our flesh from the whole of the material of which it was constituted, and it will make no difference to its reconstruction whether hairs go back to hairs and nails go back to nails, or whatever of these had perished be changed to flesh and be assigned to other parts of the body, while the providence of the Artisan will take care that nothing unseemly result” (Handbook of Faith, Hope, and Charity 23:89 [A.D. 421]).
Non-Catholic Quotes:
John Calvin
“We are taught by the Holy Scriptures that our bodies shall be raised again, that they may be changed into a better condition.” –Institutes of the Christian Religion (Book III, Chapter 25)
John Wesley
“In the resurrection of the dead, we shall have our own bodies, not different ones.” -Wesley’s Sermon 55: On the Resurrection of the Dead
C.S. Lewis
“The Bible suggests that every human being will be raised again, and this means that we will be bodily resurrected.” –Mere Christianity